![]() Rendering of Mengtian lab module | |
Module statistics | |
---|---|
COSPAR ID | 2022-143A |
Part of | Tiangong space station |
Launch date | 31 October 2022, 07:37:23 UTC[1] |
Launch vehicle | Long March 5B (Y4) |
Mass | ~22,000 kg (49,000 lb) in orbit At launch: ~23,000 kg (51,000 lb) |
Length | 17.9 m (59 ft) |
Diameter | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
Pressurised volume | 109m3[2] habitable: 32m3[3] |
Docking with Tiangong space station | |
Docking port | Tianhe Forward |
Docking date | 31 October 2022, 20:27 |
Undocking date | 3 November 2022, 00:48 UTC |
Time docked | 2 days, 4 hours and 21 minutes |
Berthing at Tiangong space station (Relocation) | |
Berthing port | Tianhe port side Port |
Berthing date | 3 November 2022, 01:32 UTC |
Time berthed | 1 year, 10 months and 5 days |
Mengtian (simplified Chinese: 梦天; traditional Chinese: 夢天; pinyin: Mèng Tiān; lit. 'Dreaming of the Heavens[4]'), officially the Mengtian laboratory cabin module (Chinese: 梦天实验舱), is a major module of the Tiangong space station. It is the second Laboratory Cabin Module launched, after Wentian, and the second module to extend the existing Tianhe core module of the station.[5] It was launched into orbit from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on 31 October 2022,[6] successfully docking with Tianhe forward port at 20:27 UTC on the same day.[7]
On 3 November 2022, Mengtian was relocated to the larboard port at 01:32 UTC[8] by indexing robot arm. On the same day at 07:12 UTC, the crew of Shenzhou 14 opened the hatch and entered the module for the first time.
The two space labs, Wentian, or Quest for Heavens, and Mengtian, or Dreaming of Heavens